Children’s choir from Uganda to perform at church Friday

Upcoming tour dates

All concerts are free and open to the public. A free will offering will be taken.

Jan. 20 at Wright State University, Bolinga Black Cultural Resource Center, 6 p.m.

Jan. 21 at Epiphany Lutheran Church, Centerville, 7 p.m.

Jan. 21 at Mount Enon Missionary Baptist Church, 6 p.m.

A children’s choir from Uganda will perform at Epiphany Lutheran Church on Friday as part of a regional tour. The tour will begin at Wright State University today. The Watoto Children’s Choir, which has been traveling in the U.S. since 1992, includes 22 children and nine adults. Their mission, according to the choir’s website, is to raise awareness about the plight of children in Africa.

“It’s just an awesome experience to see the group perform,” said Amy Basner, a member of Epiphany Lutheran Church, who has seen the choir before. “There is really a story with these kids and what they have been through.”

Choir director Paula Buzu agrees. “Seeing them grow in their lives from the time I first met them and then at a later date, that’s the best part for me.”

The choir came to Ohio by way of a stateside office, Buzu said.

“We do have an office in the U.S. that helps us set things up. People also contact the website about setting us up.”

In addition to being the choir’s director, Buzu also is a chaperone.

“I make sure that the group gets safely from point A to point B and if someone falls sick I make sure that we get them to a hospital. I am the go-to person for the choir,” she said.

Although the choir has visited many places, when asked her personal favorite, Buzu said Wisconsin.

“When we went to Wisconsin, it was still warm, so I’ll always remember Wisconsin. There was still sunshine.”

The group, who perform a mixture of gospel and traditional African music, have both recorded and performed with Christian music’s Chris Tomlin and were a part of George W. Bush’s Tour of Africa in June 2003.